Crispy chickpea patties with yogurt dill sauce

I have complained about meat prices on more than one occasion.

Can I just tell you that chicken breasts were $4 a pound this week? Are you kidding me?

I refuse to pay such prices for chicken. So, we skipped that and I threw some discounted ground pork in the grocery cart instead. Poultry be damned.

I also stocked up on some garbanzo beans. I used to hate these little beige balls of protein.

I never found them to be very appetizing. But, alas, things change. Life goes on. I learn to love things my heart never believed could be so.

I present one of the EASIEST EVER chickpea patty recipes. So many call for potatoes or bread crumbs, and I’m just like, that’s too much work.

I did some experimenting, a they say, and this is by far my favorite, easy peasy version. Please make the yogurt sauce. It makes them sing.

Recipe for crispy chickpea patties with yogurt dill sauce

• 1 can of rinsed, drained garbanzo beans
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• handful of fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large egg
• About 1/8 cup flour
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 teaspoon dill
• dashes of Tabasco
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the chickpea patties

Throw the garbanzo beans, cumin, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper into the food processor. Grind it all together. You also could use a hand potato masher but be prepared to work those muscles.

Remove the mash and place it in a bowl. Add the egg and 2 tablespoons of the flour. Mix it together. Add more spice, if desired.

Roll the chickpea dough into little, 2-inch wide patties. Makes about six. Dust them in flour.

You can either bake at 400 for about 10 minutes or pan fry them, as I did. Add some olive oil to a skillet and over medium heat, cook the patties for several minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.

In a little bowl, mix the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, dill, Tabasco, olive oil and garlic powder. Top each patty with the yogurt sauce.

Serve with roasted vegetables or over a mixed salad for a complete meal.